Pudovkin's epic is the most complex work of his brilliant career. The film was made to commemorate the Bolshevik Revolution's tenth anniversary and it is a gripping recreation of the events of 1917 as well as the conditions and events that led to revolution. It is a remarkable interweaving of subplots, motifs and historical references, realized through a mix of cinematic techniques, which Vance Keply Jr traces and clarifies in his analysis of the film. He explores the production circumstances that shaped the film and its reception, establishing its key place in both Russian and world cinema.